Biography

Mark Schrutt continues to contribute research and insight for IDC Canada as a Strategic Advisor for Public Sector and Innovation research.

Previously, Mark managed the Industry and Business Solutions group for IDC Canada. Domains under his leadership included ICT overview, Cloud Services, Application Services, Software, and Strategic Sourcing. As the lead for Strategic Sourcing, Mark provides research insights and thought leadership on the key issues and trends affecting the outsourcing markets. Primary focus areas include outsourcing contract analysis, governance issues, vendor positioning and competitive stance, and industry-specific process issues in the areas of infrastructure outsourcing.

University of Toronto:
MIS, Information Management 2006

State University of New York at Buffalo:
B.A.Sc., Business Administration and Management 1984

Links (4)

Media Appearances (12)

Beyond the vacuum: Dyson banks on brand power, R&D in effort to transform into tech powerhouse

Financial Postonline

2018-01-22

It’s hard not to think of vacuum cleaners when Dyson Ltd. comes up in conversation, but the U.K.-based company has released a slew of other products in its 31-year history including bladeless fans, hand dryers and robotic cleaners.

Four Canadian Personal Health Record Startups Named as IDC Innovators

IDConline

2018-01-22

International Data Corporation (IDC) Canada released today an IDC Innovators report recognizing four Canadian personal health record startups with revenue under C$100 million.

The following Canadian solution providers were named as IDC Innovators: ForaHealthyMe Inc., InputHealth, MedChart and Self Care Catalysts. IDC selects vendors as IDC Innovators if they offer an innovative new technology, a ground-breaking approach to an existing issue, and/or an interesting new business model in a specific market.

Canadians Attitudes toward Privacy and its Impact on Government Services

LinkedInonline

2017-02-16

Attitudes about the security and use of personal information is a very complex issue. Privacy is tightly connected to the belief of whether personal data should be shared among government bodies, the heightened environment we live in, and personal experiences. In IDC Canada's 2017 survey on citizen services, we found that seven of ten Canadians are concerned about the protection of their personal data. Close to 10% of respondents were surprisingly unconcerned. Furthermore, 15% of Canadian reported that their computers systems, email and passwords had been hacked over the past year, with 4% saying that they had been victims of multiple breaches. That being said, most Canadians believe the government is mostly making the right decisions and right moves and right investments in technology, people and processes in ensuring personal data protection. In our latest report (http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=CA41248817) IDC provides identifies areas where the government could do more the areas of integrating various web sites, putting stronger authentication techniques to protect citizen data and serve Canadians better.

Canadian Tech Firm Founders Urge Ottawa to Support People Displaced by Trump’s Travel Ban

IT in Canada

2017-01-30

Nearly 2,000 founders, chief executives, and employees of Canadian technology firms and organization yesterday called on the federal government to provide temporary residency to people displaced by an ordered issued by United States President Donald Trump which ban’s passport holders from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

Montreal sits at the centre of Canada’s data centre golden age

IT World Canada

2016-12-16

If data centres are Canada’s latest gold rush, then Montreal is the Klondike.

Just as miners rushed to the Yukon at the end of the 19th century for the first chance at the gold discovered in the Klondike, skilled data centre providers are rushing to Montreal to be the first to land the large accounts available, before the industry becomes too commoditized. In place of pick axes and sifting pans, they’re setting up server racks and offering fibre connectivity to every major carrier. Just as gold was eventually mined out of the hills of the Klondike, there’s only so many major local and foreign clients interested in large-scale data centre deployments in Canada As 2016 comes to a close, there are some signs of a maturing market for data centres in Canada, but those with the closest ties to it expect the growth period to continue well into 2017.

here are at least 18 quality third party data centre providers in Canada, with no sign that the number or their size is getting smaller, according to a new report from IDC Canada.

The report – which costs $15,000 – ranks the capabilities and offerings of most of the names in the industry as Leaders or Major Players on a points scale created by the market research firm. In an interview report author Mark Schrutt said the companies, ranging from Bell to 4Degrees, are “relatively closely bunched.”

Data centre capacity continues to shift to commercial providers

IT World Canada

2016-08-30

Demand for data centre space is growing, but there are actually fewer in Canada, according to a recent IDC report.The State of the Canadian Data Centres, 2016 found that leading companies in the banking, transportation and retail sectors on holding back on new data centre construction. Last year, approximately 150 new data centres were built while 250 were shut down for a net reduction of facilities and a decrease in usable square footage of 7.5 per cent.But none of this is a surprise to Mark Schrutt, IDC Canada’s research vice president, services and enterprise applications and author of the report.

Rogers and OVH launch IT cloud service for Canadian businesses

Mobile Syrup

2016-07-08

“New services like Rogers Public Cloud will make it easier for businesses to adopt cloud solutions and could ultimately foster more innovation as customers get access to more efficient, cost-effective IT as-a-service solutions.”” said Mark Schrutt, vice president of services and enterprise applications at IDC.

Canada’s Resurgent Nearshore Opportunities

Nearshore Americas

2016-06-30

With the Canadian dollar currently valued at US$0.77 (on date of publishing)—a significant drop since hitting par back in 2012-2013—outsourcers north of the border are sitting on an impressive value proposition based on labor arbitrage, cultural affinity, and geographic proximity. But to maintain a long-term and sustainable base, Canadian providers must do more: they need to compete with innovative technologies and business models.

What are the enterprise benefits of Microsoft’s Canadian cloud?

IT World Canada

2016-05-26

Microsoft Corp.’s opening of two data centres in Canada are expected to fuel an uptick in adoption of its cloud services, such as Office 365 and Azure, in part because it addresses the erstwhile concern many enterprises have: data residency.

But there are other benefits for its customers, as well as its partners, and reflects broader trends in the data centre landscape.

54,000 Canadian IT jobs unfilled, IDC estimates

CBC Newsonline

2015-09-16

DC Canada estimates there are 54,000 unfilled information technology jobs in Canada, a problem that delays projects and inhibits innovation.

But the IT skills gap has been around so long it's seen as "business as usual" by most employers, according to Mark Schrutt, IDC Canada's research vice president for services and enterprise applications.

Reports (40)

This IDC Presentation looks at the digitally based transformation occurring in Canadian healthcare. This document provides the projected spending in digital technologies over the next 36 months in 3rd Platform and innovation accelerator categories. 3rd Platform refers to cloud computing, analytics, and mobility, while innovation accelerators include cognitive, IoT, and other emerging technologies. Leveraging IDC's 2H18 3rd Platform Spending Guide, this document outlines the external spending by Canadian healthcare in hardware, software, and services. IDC also used our survey data from 2018, which asked 400+ respondents, including 80 in the public sector, and their views on the benefits, challenges, and use of digital technologies.

Citizen First: Canadian Government Executive Perspectives and Priorities for 2019IDC Canada

Mark Schrutt, Jason Bremner

This IDC Perspective captures the trends and goals for Canadian government for 2019, along with guidance for public sector technology leaders. There is a realization within Canadian government that it needs to change. The ambition is to be faster, provide a better experience, and drive higher levels of satisfaction among citizens and businesses that deal with the government.

"To accomplish these objectives, government leaders IDC interviewed are focusing on improving the channels citizens use to interact with the government, the services provided, citizen involvement in the development of government services, and internal processes to drive efficiencies," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Innovation and Public Sector research, IDC Canada.

This IDC Tech Buyer Presentation discusses the Canadian regionalization of IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Health Industry 2019 Predictions (IDC #US43122618, October 2018). It provides a detailed perspective on the forces shaping business and the Canadian healthcare market over the next several years. Each prediction is presented based on the timeline projection, complexity assessment, and organizational impact on the "mainstream" market."Change is happening in Canadian healthcare. Better access and convenience are being driven by patients that want to manage their health in the same way that they shop online, listen to music, and communicate with friends. Caregivers, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and friends and family that help at home, want faster and better ways to share information," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Public Sector and Innovation research, IDC Canada.

This IDC Survey reviews the public sector findings from our research on the Canadian IT skills gap. IDC defines the skills gap as getting the right resource at the right time and at the right price. Canadian organizations use a combination of methods to fill the gap. IDC most recently estimated the number of contractors at 54,000 people, and this cost Canadian organizations close to C$1 billion. With an IT unemployment rate of approximately 2%, low university IT graduation rates, and immigration, Canada will be stretched over two decades to meet the IT labour demands on its own and will increasingly need to leverage external resources in the public sector.

This IDC Tech Buyer Presentation provides case studies on Canadian Federal Government Innovation Centres and innovation activity. It includes centres in various departments and ministries, as well as government branches such as Elections Canada and the Canadian Digital Services.

This IDC Survey examines certain key trends in the Canadian public sector datacenter market. This Survey leverages data from IDC's annual survey on Canadian datacenters. The survey was in field during March 2018.

This IDC Market Presentation provides a comprehensive overview of the Canadian healthcare system, with specific focus on the IT buying environment for hospitals located across the provinces. IDC interviewed a dozen stakeholders on their view of the opportunities and challenges and the buying situation in the various regions throughout Canada.

This IDC study explores best practices in creating government innovation centres in Canada.

"Innovation centres are proving themselves by getting government closer to users and citizens, providing space to create around the status quo and perhaps, most importantly, leading to a new culture in the public sector." — Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Public Sector and innovation research.

The Future Is Pounding at the Door: The Impact of Digital Transformation on Strategy and Decision MakingIDC Canada

Mark Schrutt, Jason Bremner

2018-08-20

Aug 2018

This IDC Perspective kicks off a collection of documents on the best practices around disruption and digital transformation — how to prepare for it and turn moments of uncertainty and unknown risk into opportunity. Over three-quarters of Canadian business leaders believe that digital technologies will significantly disrupt their industries, propelling their companies toward major transformational initiatives.

IDC believes that almost every industry and every player in their respective sectors are asking themselves the same questions. It is not a matter of if, but when and how we should respond? We have conducted research in digital technologies and published a series of documents over the past five years. Our studies covered areas such as the ROI of digital, the adoption and maturity curve for the marketplace, the Canadian start-up community, the digital CIO, and how organizations are introducing innovation to the way they operate and respond to changes in the marketplace.

"The need for transformation is rising as are the challenges of remaining relevant and creating new value to the marketplace," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Innovation and Public Sector research.

Playing with the Big Boys: Approaches to Innovation and Transformation in the Canadian MidmarketIDC Canada

Mark Schrutt, Jason Bremner

2018-08-14

Aug 2018

This IDC Perspective examines IDC's research to understand whether midsize and large businesses approach innovation differently. Companies are driving toward a different culture that is more focused on understanding the needs of the customer, moves at a faster pace and is emboldened to take calculated risks.

"There are no significant differences between how midsize and large companies approach innovation," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Public Sector and Innovation research. "Differences began to appear as our research expanded beyond innovation and into market disruption. Industry has more influence than size when it comes to innovation and transformation."

The Next Great Govtech Hub: Canadian Opportunities and Five Steps to ConsiderIDC Canada

Mark Schrutt, Jason Bremner

June 2018

This IDC Perspective discusses the opportunities for Canada's next great govtech hub. Govtech can mean a number of different things. It could make up the bulk of the solutions that enable Smart Cities or the traditional technologies that are used to maintain a well-run, well-governed city. The focus of this document, though, is on building a collection and connection of start-ups that eventually, with density, can emerge as a global hub for tech firms focused on government services.

"While govtech is not necessarily focused on government services, its goal is to create a start-up community that uses government data, government connections, and the ability to validate ideas in a city-sponsored test environment," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Innovation and Public Sector Research. "Govtech is also about connections with academia and the local private sector with the goal of creating high-paying, knowledge worker professions and attracting more talent and investment in the community."

The State of Digital Transformation, 2018: Canadian GovernmentIDC Canada

Mark Schrutt, Jason Bremner

May 2018

This IDC Tech Buyer Presentation provides a summary of the digital transformation initiatives within the Canadian government sectors. Comprehensive data on the importance, adoption, benefits, and challenges of digital technologies such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and cognitive analytics is outlined within the presentation. In addition, recommendations to advance the use of digital in Canadian government are provided.

The State of Digital Transformation, 2018: Canadian HealthcareIDC Canada

Mark Schrutt, Jason Bremner

May 2018

This IDC Tech Buyer Presentation provides a summary of the digital transformation initiatives within the Canadian healthcare sector. Comprehensive data on the importance, adoption, benefits, and challenges of digital technologies such as the Internet of things, cloud computing, and cognitive analytics is outlined within the presentation. The use of third-party services is also summarized, along with recommendations to advance the use of digital in the Canadian healthcare segment.

The Canadian Budget, 2018: Forging New and Better Investments in Research and InnovationIDC Canada

Mark Schrutt, Jason Bremner

March 2018

The 2018 Canadian budget was tabled on February 26. It called for C$339 billion in spending on operational programs, expenditures, and debt coverage compared with C$329 billion in fiscal year 2017–2018. Furthermore, the government is projecting its budget to increase by 3.3% over the next two years.

"The main two themes in the 2018 budget were support for middle- and lower-class families and providing opportunities for women, particularly entrepreneurs and women-led businesses," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Innovation and Public Sector Research.

This IDC Market Presentation provides an analysis of spending in the Canadian federal government. IDC provides detailed budgetary data on specific departments as well as their spending on information technology and management consulting services. This IDC Market Presentation also includes benchmark data on adoption of digital technologies in the Canadian public sector space.

This IDC Market Perspective states that, by this time next year, superclusters will join the rapidly expanding vocabulary of innovation. Starting later in 2018, the federal government will make available close to C$1 billion over a five-year period to support five sector-focused superclusters. These dollars are to be matched by the private sector consortium members. The superclusters, working in concert with other government programs, are meant to focus, strengthen, and expedite the innovation efforts in key sectors. In the end, the superclusters will take shape with a combination of physical and virtual assets, much of which are already in place and will be repurposed or leveraged by the consortia.

"The superclusters will have facilities where start-ups meet, university students can work, and enterprises can relocate their innovation centres," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Public Sector and Innovation research at IDC Canada. "The superclusters' offices will be home for funding and supporting programs and will act as a connection to universities and government programming, not too differently than how many accelerators or hubs do today."

This IDC Survey reviews the public sector findings from our research on the Canadian IT skills gap. IDC defines the skills gap as getting the right resource at the right time and at the right price. Canadian organizations use a combination of methods to fill the gap. IDC most recently estimated the number of contractors at 54,000 people and cost Canadian organizations close to C$1 billion. With an IT unemployment rate of approximately 2%, low university IT graduation rates, and immigration, Canada will be stretched over two decades to meet the IT labour demands on its own and will increasingly need to leverage external resources in the public sector.

This IDC Market Perspective examines start-ups in the Canadian healthcare market. The disruption occurring in the Canadian healthcare market is not quite the same as in the industries that witnessed the disappearance of Kodak and Blockbuster or the arrival of Airbnb and Uber. Yet the disruption healthcare is experiencing is related. Technology is also replacing the way we seek certain medical care and shifted the relationship patients have with the healthcare system. Smartphones, smartwatches, and other devices allow people to monitor their sleep, follow their diet, and directly interact with their physician. While technology has not yet got to the point of dismantling Canada's single-payer system, it is changing the expectations patients have of their healthcare providers."Unfortunately, the current healthcare system cannot get close to meeting the expectations of the digital economy," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Innovation and Public Sector research. The desire is there. Clinicians and patients alike want to communicate together as patients progress through the cycle of care. Hospitals also want to tap into the innovation community. Consumers of healthcare are the same people that use Airbnb on their vacation or hail rides from Uber. They know what is available, stream video on demand, and shop at Amazon. And where consumer-facing technologies are available for medical care, they have proven to help patients become more knowledgeable about healthcare and more aware of the treatments available, better manage their own health, and have more satisfying relationships with their caregivers. These are profound changes, which will lead to further disruption in the primary care market.

Innovation in Procurement: How to Reimagine Sourcing in the Canadian Public SectorIDC Canada

Mark Schrutt, Jason Bremner

November 2017

This IDC Perspective focuses on the ICT procurement programs within the Canadian public sector, identifying opportunities to drive innovation as well as ways to work with start-ups and alternative providers. IDC has been studying sourcing and procurement practices since our inception, over 50 years ago. For this research, IDC talked with both public and private sector executives. Our conversations included hospitals, educational institutions, and various levels of government as well as start-ups and traditional vendors.IDC found that, while there will continue to be plenty of procurement departments that continue to be order takers and struggle to justify budgets, a new breed of procurement is beginning to emerge."Leading procurement executives think in terms of the end user," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Public Sector and Innovation research. "For this group, metrics easily relate to contributions to the organization, and procurement strategies are tightly linked to organizational priorities. For these leaders, the future will be not solely about lower cost but changing the value technology delivers."

This IDC Survey examines certain key trends in the Canadian public sector datacentre market. This document leverages data from IDC's annual survey on Canadian datacentres. The survey was in field during March 2017. This survey covers topics including:- The number of public sector–operated datacentres in Canada- The raised floor capacity of these sites- The age of the facility and most recent update, upgrade, expansion, and retrofit- Adoption of third-party hosting services, drivers, and inhibitors.

This IDC Market Perspective states that by this time next year, superclusters will join the rapidly expanding vocabulary of innovation. Starting in 2018, the federal government will make available close to C$1 billion over a five-year period to support five sector-focused superclusters. These dollars are to be matched by the private sector consortium members. The superclusters, working in concert with other government programs, are meant to focus, strengthen, and expedite the innovation efforts in key sectors.In the end, the superclusters will take shape with a combination of physical and virtual assets, much of which are already in place and will be repurposed or leveraged by the consortia. The superclusters will have facilities where start-ups meet, university students can work, and enterprises can relocate their innovation centres. The superclusters' offices will be home for funding and support programs and act as a connection to universities and government programming, not too differently than how many accelerators or hubs do today."This is an ideal time for the superclusters," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Public Sector and Innovation research, at IDC Canada. "Innovation, different business models and ways of working, a new pace, culture, and embracing opportunities to learn are helping companies challenge long-held rules of business."

This IDC Perspective discusses critical success factors for the global innovation center.Innovation is the new boardroom buzzword. Announcements are coming at a rapid pace about corporate innovation, investments and reorganization around digital channels, and reengineering and rightsizing around innovation. While there is plenty of noise out there, it is clear that most businesses realize that the old ways of doing things won't cut it in today's market.Innovation centers may not be for everyone. It depends a lot on the industry, maturity, size, and capacity of the company. Many organizations instead decide to work with university accelerators and vendors or sponsor crowdsourcing and hackathons to generate ideas, take ideas to concepts, and eventually bring these innovation efforts to market."There are different routes to innovation, such as mergers or investing in start-ups as many banks are doing in the fintech space," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Innovation and Public Sector research at IDC Canada. "Another approach is to take lessons from these start-ups, which are encapsulated in the try, fail fast, and reiterate principles of the lean start-up methodology. This is the foundation behind innovation centers."

This IDC Perspective is based on IDC interviews with more than two dozen innovation leaders and a study of scores of other innovation centers. All innovation centers we studied for this document were created in the past five years; the majority having opened their doors in the past two years.Innovation is the centerpiece of the future. Innovation centers are a real, tangible vehicle to funnel creativity and experimentation. These centers provide established firms a gateway to change culture, attract the best and brightest talent, and develop new relationships and partnerships."Around the world, innovation centers are integral for leveraging technologies in new and different ways," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Innovation and Public Sector research at IDC Canada. "These innovation centers are leading to different and new ways of looking at business and establishing more meaningful connections between start-ups, universities, and established firms. More importantly, innovation centers are setting the groundwork for new product introductions, new revenue sources, and shifting the culture in many '100-year-old' enterprises."

This IDC Perspective discusses how aligning innovation efforts with corporate strategy is critical.

According to Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Public Sector and Innovation research at IDC Canada, "For most companies, innovation centers start small, with just a handful of people with entrepreneurial, technical, and design thinking backgrounds. These innovation centers typically start with a limited budget that sees a site located within the head office or sometimes within the IT department. Innovation starts small by focusing on a few projects to pick off low-hanging fruit around cost savings or process efficiencies. Innovation centers begin to grow with little wins, hitting singles versus moonshot home runs and, most importantly, delivering value. These centers start punching above their weight and have a quantifiable impact as they work with business units, rotate core staff through the center, and begin expanding their horizon from productivity improvements to creating new products and ways of changing the business.

Schrutt adds, "Driving new revenue is a fundamental goal of the innovation center. In the long term, changing the culture to one where innovation is integrated into strategy, like a start-up, is the promised land of innovation. Once innovation is cemented into culture, the innovation center will need to reinvent itself. Having accomplished their goal, innovation centers will need to refocus on a completely new purpose or be spun off as a separate division."

This IDC Perspective discusses how the best customer experience is across all sales channels and touch points, building long-lasting customer relationships and creating a work environment where people have the freedom to interact, explore, and innovate. These beliefs empower TELUS to provide the best experience in:

-Retail, with the growth of its Connected Experience stores and TELUS Mobile Innovation Centre, a leading-edge, hands-on mobile showcase of new technologies and products-Business markets, via its cross-country network of TELUS Innovation Centres that demonstrate the art of the possible in technology and communications-Canadian innovation, through TELUS accelerators for start-ups (such as TELUS Technology Accelerator with Innovate Calgary and T-Squared Accelerator with TEC Edmonton) and TELUS Ventures, a financing arm

"TELUS is also reinventing the way it works internally, optimizing the delivery of digital technology with TELUS Digital, a prototype for the future of the digital operations department," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Innovation and Public Sector research. "TELUS Digital focuses on building digital properties and experiences that enhance customer-centric collaboration and innovation."

This IDC Market Perspective focuses on the information technology component of P3s including how technology is approved; the procurement process of ICT hardware, software, and services; and the priority technology has among the various P3 stakeholders.

P3s are big business. There have been more than 250 deals signed that have a total contract value of over C$120 billion among those that have reached financial close. "The majority of P3 projects have been in the healthcare sector," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Innovation and Public Sector research. "This is followed by transit and transportation, utilities, and buildings, including court houses, penitentiaries, and schools."

This IDC Government Insights Presentation provides a summary of the digital transformation initiatives within the Canadian government sectors. Comprehensive data on the importance, adoption, benefits, and challenges of digital technologies such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and cognitive analytics is outlined within the document. The use of third-party services is also summarized, along with recommendations to advance the use of digital in Canadian government.

This IDC Presentation provides a summary of the digital transformation initiatives within the Canadian healthcare sector. Comprehensive data on the importance, adoption, benefits, and challenges of digital technologies such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and cognitive analytics is outlined within the presentation. The use of third-party services is also summarized, along with recommendations to advance the use of digital in the Canadian healthcare segment.

This IDC Perspective discusses the readiness of the Canadian public sector to defend against security threats and the number of breaches experienced and its impact. This study provides the state of security in the public sector, findings from our research, and best practices for stakeholders.

"What makes questions of this sort difficult to answer is that you truly don't know how secure you are until a breach has been identified," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Innovation and Public Sector Research at IDC Canada. "The majority of breaches have no impact or no data compromised, and they go undetected for months, years, and potentially forever."

This IDC Buyer Case Study describes a public sector organization that is following the government's advice on innovation, research, and technology. Innovation underpins all key strategic pillars for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). It is being driven through the entire organization but has at its heart the two LCBO innovation centres established in the past 24 months.

The innovation game changes, depending on the type of organization. The rules for the public sector are different. Government, including Crown corporations such as the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, the focus of this document, is not like commercial businesses. Government has goals and rules beyond bottom-line profits. While many of its stakeholders expect the LCBO to act like a business, it must also follow regulations and processes that may restrict and delay the impact innovation can have on an organization. The complexity of LCBO's mission that includes optimizing asset value and social responsibility creates tension, challenges, and opportunities.

This IDC Government Insights Presentation provides an analysis of spending for crown corporations in the Canadian federal government. Crown corporations are wholly owned and managed by the federal government and report to one of the many ministries within the federal government. IDC provides detailed budgetary data on specific crown corporations as well as their business and information technology priorities.

This IDC Perspective provides commentary of the 2017 Canadian federal budget tabled on March 22. Specific focus is provided on innovation and IT skills, foundation pieces of the 2017 Canadian budget. The central themes of the 2017 Canadian federal budget tabled by Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau were innovation and technology skills. The 2017 budget represents over C$3 billion in potential funding to accelerate Canada's pace of innovation.

"In addition, a number of new and restructured programs were announced intended to improve and increase the flow of tech talent in Canada," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Innovation and Public Sector research. "These initiatives represent over C$400 million in funding to enhance computer literacy for both students and the unemployed/underemployed and better connect Canadian businesses with co-op, interns, and temporary foreign workers."

Innovation Inside the Box: The Canadian Playbook for Innovation CentresIDC Canada

March 2017

This IDC Perspective outlines the drivers leading Canada's some or most established firms to set up innovation centres. This document, part of IDC Canada's ongoing research on innovation, provides the benefits, challenges, and process to create innovation centres.

Innovation is the centerpiece of the future. Innovation centres are a real, tangible vehicle to funnel creativity and experimentation. They provide established firms a gateway to change culture, attract the best and brightest talent, and develop new relationships and partnerships.

"Canada is a vibrant part of this innovation centre landscape," says Mark Schrutt, strategic advisor, Innovation and Public Sector research.

Canadian Federal Government: Analysis of Department and Ministry ExpendituresIDC Canada

March 2017

This IDC Government Insights Presentation provides an analysis of spending in the Canadian federal government. IDC provides detailed budgetary data on specific departments as well as their spending on information technology and management consulting services. This Presentation also includes benchmark data on adoption of digital technologies in the Canadian public sector space.

What Citizens Want: 2017 Benchmark on Canadian Federal and Provincial Government ServicesIDC Canada

February 2017

This IDC Government Insights presentation provides the results from our annual Canadian citizen survey on government services. Over 1,000 Canadians were asked about their satisfaction and perception of the services they receive from federal, provincial, and local governments. IDC's research also covered the privacy, security, and preference of citizens. Finally, comparisons were made between the 2016 and 2017 results and recommendations provided to public sector stakeholders.

This IDC Perspective provides IDC's view of the trends and technologies that will shape the Canadian healthcare market over the next year.

"Among the most critical elements to the marketplace are a move to consumerization, home care services, funding models and limitations, and security and privacy," said Mark Schrutt, research vice president, Services and Enterprise Applications.

Where Will Canadian Clients of AWS and Microsoft Azure Host Their Workloads?IDC Canada

January 2017

This IDC Survey Spotlight explores the impact of where Canadian clients of Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure will host their cloud workloads. Up until midyear 2016, neither AWS nor Microsoft Azure clients could host their workloads in Canada, as the providers did not have Canadian datacenters. As of 2017, both AWS and Microsoft Azure will allow customers to host their workloads in Canada from their newly opened datacenters. We asked AWS and Microsoft Azure clients on the Canada IT Advisory Panel survey the possible impact of AWS and Microsoft opening datacenters in Canada.

This IDC Presentation provides an overview of the datacentre and infrastructure-based cloud services markets. As part of IDC's ongoing work in the area of datacentre outsourcing, we explored the datacentre services and associated buyer and decision criteria for infrastructure services. Specifically, IDC's research focused on provider capabilities, satisfaction rates, and models employed. This is our fourth annual IT Buyer Guide for Datacentre Services.